Friday, October 3, 2008

John's First Work of Art

Well, hard to tell if he's a Monet or Picaso at this early stage, but we think it's brilliant!
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Friday, September 12, 2008

How to Change the Enterprise Name

Let’s say you don’t like the way a consultant named the Siebel Enterprise. Well, fortunately, he was kind enough to leave you instructions on how to rename it. These instructions are not for the faint of heart. You should really know what your doing or you can seriously foul things up. Follow these steps.

1. Backup the ADMIN directory on the gateway.

2. Leave all Siebel Application and Gateway Services running everywhere.

3. Stop the Web Server

4. Log into one of the application servers

5. Start a command window

6. Move to the BIN directory in siebsrvr

7. Remove ALL servers from the Enterprise by repeating the following command for each server:

a. srvredit –g HOSTNAME_OF_GATEWAY –e NAME_OF_THE_SIEBEL_ENTERPRISE –s NAME_OF_SERVER_TO_REMOVE –x $server

i. –x $server tells the srvredit program to remove the server

ii. example: this was run in dev to remove the Siebel Application Server named “vccssdev”:

            srvredit –g sw75dgccsw03 –e vccssdev –s vccssdev –x $server

8. Remove the Enterprise with srvredit

a. srvredit –g sw75dgccsw03 –e vccssdev –x $Enterprise

i. notice how no server name is passed in

ii. notice how “x” is literally “$Enterprise”

9. Restart the Gateway Server

10. Look at siebns.dat and notice how it is empty

11. Stop all Siebel Servers

12. Remove the DSN (ODBC) on each Application Server.

13. Remove the Service entry for the “dead” server service in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SiebSrvr_siebel_SiebSrvrname

14. Reboot each Siebel Server

15. Now run StartàProgramsàSiebel Enterprise Server ConfigurationàSiebel Server Configuration.

16. Use the Wizard to configure all your Siebel Servers and name a new Enterprise in the process.

17. Be sure to update any Siebel Dedicated Client .cfg files. Search and replace the Enterprise Name but do not replace any ODBC names (which have the old enterprise name in it) without also updating the ODBC entry for your Client, too.

18. Log in with the thick client and validate things. If you got some errors during Server Confg you can see with the thick client what needs to be fixed. A lot of time you need to grab the ODBC that is in Administration-Server ConfigurationàServersàServer Parameters for the ODBC Data Source and make it on each Server since this is usually the one piece that bombs.

19. Bounce the enterprise.

20. Run the Web Server Config on web servers or just search replace the enterprise name in the eapps.cfg files.

21. Restart Web Servers

Monday, July 7, 2008

Top 50 Sunscreens for 2008

Below is a list of the top 50 sunscreens for 2008 as ranked by Skin Deep (cosmeticsdatabase.com) . Where did your sunscreen rank? Chances are your sunscreen is actually doing more harm than good. Click the title or use the link at the end of the list to learn more.
  1. Keys Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30
  2. Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+
  3. California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+
  4. California Baby Sunblock Stick Everyday/year-Round, SPF 30+
  5. Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30
  6. Marie Veronique Skin Therapy Sun Serum
  7. Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40
  8. Vanicream Sunscreen, SPF 35
  9. Vanicream Sunscreen Sport, SPF 35
  10. California Baby Sunscreen Lotion No Fragrance, SPF 30+
  11. California Baby Sunscreen Lotion Everyday/year-Round, SPF 30+
  12. UV Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
  13. California Baby Sunscreen Lotion Natural Bug Blend, SPF 30+
  14. Sun Science Sport Formula, SPF 30
  15. UV Natural Sunscreen, Sport, SPF 30+
  16. UV Natural Sunscreen, UV Golf / Ultra
  17. Soleo Organics Sunscreen all natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
  18. Obagi Nu-Derm Physical UV Block, SPF 32
  19. Mexitan Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
  20. EltaMD UV Physical, SPF 41
  21. Mexitan Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
  22. Eau Thermale Avene Tinted Compact, SPF 50
  23. Jason Natural Cosmetics Sunbrellas Mineral Based Physical Sunblock, SPF 30+
  24. Sun Science Organic Daily Wear, SPF 30
  25. Vanicream Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin, SPF 60
  26. Vanicream Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin, SPF 30
  27. Walgreens Sunblock with Zinc Oxide for Face, Nose & Ears, SPF 45+
  28. EltaMD UV Sport with Z-Cote, SPF 50
  29. Solar Sense Face Protection, SPF 45
  30. Solar Sense Clear Zinc with Green Tea, for Face, SPF 45
  31. Mustela Sun Cream for Sensitive Areas, SPF 50
  32. Mustela Sun Lotion, Bebe High Protection, SPF 50
  33. Procyte Z-Silc Plus Sunblock, SPF 30+
  34. Solbar Zinc Sun Protection Cream
  35. Solbar Zinc, SPF 38
  36. Blue Lizard Australian Suncream Lotion, Baby, SPF 30+
  37. Eau Thermale Avene Sunscreen Cream for Sensitive Areas, SPF 50
  38. Trukid Sunny Days Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+
  39. Fallene Cotz Sunscreen, SPF 58
  40. Lotus Moon Sage Sun Protective Creme -, SPF 25
  41. Healing-Scents Live Long Sunscreen, SPF 25-30
  42. Caribbean Sol Solguard, SPF 25
  43. Institut Dermed Sun Protective Cream Oil Free, Untinted, SPF 28
  44. Kabana Skin Care Green Screen Organic Sunscreen - Skin Tone Tinted, SPF 22
  45. CVS Sunscreen with Zinc Oxide, SPF 45+
  46. Elemis Liquid Layer Sunblock, SPF 30
  47. Dermalogica Super Sensitive Face Block, SPF 30
  48. Lavera Sunblock Baby & Children, SPF 30
  49. Blue Lizard Australian Suncream Lotion, Sensitive, SPF 30
  50. Neocutis Journee Bio-Restorative Day Cream with Psp, SPF 30+
Learn More: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Teriyaki Chicken Meth Style

Meth style? What? Yeah, you heard it. This is my teriyaki chicken recipe. It cooks up so fast you'll look like the local meth mommie talking on the phone, dropping the kids off to soccer, putting on lipstick, and drinking a Starbucks - all while changing a diaper.

OK, here's the deal, I'm going to assume you've already prepped your chicken and that it's thawed. This can be done in about 15 minutes - no kidding. Take that Rachel Ray. The slowest part is waiting for the water to boil. So if you're cooking straight from the computer. Stop reading. Grab the skillet you plan to use for the chicken and fill it 1/3 to 1/2 full of water. Set it on high to boil. Also, grab your tea kettle and fill it with enough water to fill the remaining volume in the skillet. Set that on on high to boil, too. Go now.

OK. Your boiling water. Nice work. Your mom would be proud. Here's the recipe:

  • Pounded Chicken Breast (this means butterflied and pounded out really flat)
  • Soba noodles from the Asian isle in the grocery
  • Teriyaki Sauce (Kikoman, La Choy, whatever)
  • Chicken Broth (or stock)
  • Frozen Veggies (pepper blend, asian blend, or broccoli)

So pretty much, we're waiting for that water to boil. If you haven't already, prep the chicken breast. Then just marinate right there on the cutting board by sprinkling a little kosher salt, pepper, olive oil and a drizzle of teriyaki. Slather altogether and then lay it out flat.

Now that the water is boiling, throw the soba noodles AND frozen veggies up in there. It should have taken about 5 minutes for the water to boil. Don't forget you put half the volume in a tea pot which is now whistling away - so add that in now.

Pretty much we're bored. Uncork some Monkey Bay Savvy Blanc or maybe a nice Viognier like Clay Station. Poor and sip. Maybe even turn on Rachel Ray and have a laugh at how hard she's working. You also might set the table.

OK. 5 minutes. The soba noodles are done and so are the veggies. Carefully hoist the skillet over to the sink and strain in the waiting colander. Return the pan to the cooking surface. Turn to about med-high and throw in some olive oil. Place the chicken breast in to cook. You only need 2 minutes a side because you have pounded it so thin.

So we're at 14 minutes. Time to finish up. Chicken is cooked and still in the pan. Grab the colander full of noodles and veggies and dump in the pan. Drizzle on all the teriyaki you want and toss toss toss.

Serve.

Your welcome.

Up Your Nose with Saline Nasal Spray. Yum!

So, you wash your hands when they are dirty, right? You wash your arm pits when they stink, right? There's a long list here, but I will get to the point quickly.
A lot of my cycling homies complain about allergies and how they increase when they ride. They take allergy meds and then feel not so clear.
I solved this problem by putting a bottle of saline nasal wash in the shower. I simple hose the nose whenever I'm in the shower. Since I always shower at some point after a ride, I get my pits clean and my nasal passages.
You see, the saline wash cleans the nose out but also provides extra defense against those pathogens that make it into the nose. Most viruses and bacteria that affect humans are not stable in salt water.
I am an allergy suffer as well, but a gentle wash does the trick there, too. It also is extremely effective right after I mow the yard.
Be sure to buy something that is 100% saline. Watch for the "preservatives" that can act as a drying agent. Ask a pharmacist if you are not sure and definitely ask before using it on a child, preggo, etc. Just ask. My doc said it was cool for me, but my doc is not yours. That's as legal as I am going to get.
Good luck.